Type of limestone that is composed predominantly of sand-size grains
Calcarenite is a type of
limestone that is composed predominantly, more than 50 percent, of detrital (transported)
sand-size (0.0625 to 2 mm in diameter),
carbonate grains. The grains consist of sand-size grains of either
corals,
shells,
ooids,
intraclasts,
pellets, fragments of older
limestones and
dolomites, other carbonate grains, or some combination of these. Calcarenite is the carbonate equivalent of a
sandstone. The term calcarenite was originally proposed in 1903 by
Grabau[1][2] as a part of his
calcilutite, calcarenite and
calcirudite carbonate classification system based upon the size of the detrital grains composing a limestone.[3][4] Calcarenites can accumulate in a wide variety of marine and non-marine environments. They can consist of grains of carbonate that have accumulated either as coastal sand
dunes (
eolianites),
beaches, offshore bars and shoals,
turbidites, or other depositional settings.[3][5]
References
^Grabau, A.W. (1903) Paleozoic coral reefs. Geological Society of America Bulletin. vol. 14, pp. 337-352.
^Grabau, A.W. (1904) On the classification of sedimentary rocks. American Geologist. vol. 33, pp. 228-247.
^
abFlügel, E. (2010) Microfacies of Carbonate Rocks, 2nd ed. Springer-Verlag Berlin, Germany. 976 pp.
ISBN978-3-540-22016-9
^Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A. Jackson, J.A., eds. (2005) Glossary of Geology (5th ed.). Alexandria, Virginia, American Geological Institute. 779 pp.
ISBN0-922152-76-4
^Scholle, P.A., D.G. Bebout, and C.H. Moore (1983) Carbonate Depositional Environments. Memoir no. 33. Tulsa, Oklahoma, American Association of Petroleum Geologists. 708 pp.
ISBN978-0-89181-310-1
See also
Calcilutite – Limestone that is composed of predominantly clay-size or clay and silt-size grains
Calcisiltite – Type of limestonePages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback
Calcirudite – sedimentary rockPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback